Estancia’s Jake Covey receives Orange Coast League Pitcher of the Year award in baseball
Estancia High junior right-handed pitcher Jake Covey earned Orange Coast League Pitcher of the Year honors after helping the Eagles baseball team claim its first outright league title since 2010.
Estancia junior catcher Garrett Palme, junior outfielder Troy Huber and senior right-handed pitcher Justin Wood earned first-team status, as did Costa Mesa senior right-handed pitcher/infielder Cameron Chapman and senior right-handed pitcher/first baseman Omar Muñoz.
Covey finished with an 8-1 record and a 0.37 earned-run average for Estancia (17-12, 10-5 in league). He struck out 109 batters in 76 ``1/3 innings, helping the Eagles win league and advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs, their first CIF quarterfinal appearance since 1989. Estancia lost there, 2-0 against Pasadena Poly.
The Estancia High baseball team hit not one, but two inside-the-park home runs in Wednesday’s Orange Coast League finale against visiting Saddleback.
Palme hit .341 for the Eagles, with team-best totals of two home runs and 31 runs batted in. Huber hit .349 with 12 RBIs, while Wood hit .277 with 13 RBIs and was 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA.
Chapman, bound for Vanguard University, hit .403 with a team-best seven doubles, 15 RBIs and a team-best 25 runs scored. He helped Costa Mesa (15-12, 9-6) finish in a three-way tie for second in the league. Chapman then won four straight games in the postseason to help the Mustangs reach the Division 6 title game, their first CIF title game appearance since 1962. Costa Mesa lost 9-7 to Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep in the championship game.
Muñoz hit .387 with two home runs and 17 RBIs for the Mustangs.
The Costa Mesa High baseball team has had a historical season this year and it continued Tuesday.
Second-team honorees included Estancia senior outfielder Hayden Pearce, junior pitcher/infielder Nick Peralez and senior infielder/pitcher Jake Alai. Costa Mesa senior catcher Miguel Rodriguez and sophomore infielder Kyle Anderson also made the second team.
Orange junior Jonathan Long earned league MVP honors.
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